Charter schools in Wisconsin
221 open public charter schools in the 2025-26 federal directory, about 47,223 students in 2024-25.
Public charter schools (tuition-free)
Charter schools by town
Each town page lists its own charter schools and the others within 15 miles.
- Milwaukee (37)
- Appleton (14)
- Sheboygan (8)
- Waukesha (7)
- La Crosse (5)
- McFarland (4)
- Wales (4)
- Wausau (4)
- Birchwood (3)
- Eau Claire (3)
- Green Bay (3)
- Janesville (3)
- Madison (3)
- Mauston (3)
- Minong (3)
- Monona (3)
- Solon Springs (3)
- Sparta (3)
- Verona (3)
- Viroqua (3)
- Amherst Junction (2)
- Cameron (2)
- Elkhorn (2)
- Hayward (2)
- Kaukauna (2)
- Kenosha (2)
- Kiel (2)
- Lake Geneva (2)
- Little Chute (2)
- Merrill (2)
- Minocqua (2)
- Montello (2)
- Necedah (2)
- Nekoosa (2)
- Oconomowoc (2)
- Richland Center (2)
- River Falls (2)
- Watertown (2)
- Wauwatosa (2)
- Amherst (1)
- Beloit (1)
- Cedar Grove (1)
- De Pere (1)
- Denmark (1)
- Dousman (1)
- Eagle (1)
- Fall Creek (1)
- Fremont (1)
- Grand Chute (1)
- Greendale (1)
- Greenfield (1)
- Hortonville (1)
- La Farge (1)
- Marathon (1)
- Menasha (1)
- Middleton (1)
- Mukwonago (1)
- Neenah (1)
- New London (1)
- Orfordville (1)
- Palmyra (1)
- Racine (1)
- Saint Germain (1)
- Stevens Point (1)
- West Allis (1)
- Weston (1)
- Wonewoc (1)
Online charter schools in Wisconsin (53)
These schools told the federal survey that most or all of their teaching is online (2024-25). Their address is an office; ask each one which parts of Wisconsin it enrolls from.
Other charter schools in Wisconsin (19)
Schools in towns without a page of their own, by town.
Who runs and charters them
Networks and districts with the most charter schools in Wisconsin: Milwaukee School District (18), Appleton Area School District (15), Sheboygan Area School District (8), Kettle Moraine School District (5), La Crosse School District (5), Waukesha School District (5), McFarland School District (4), Wausau School District (4).
Charter authorizers named most often: Milwaukee School District (18), Appleton Area School District (15), University of Wisconsin Milwaukee (15), University of Wisconsin System (10), Sheboygan Area School District (8), Kettle Moraine School District (5), LA Crosse School District (5), City of Milwaukee (5).
Names as the state reported them to the federal directory (2025-26).
Charter schools: how they work
- Public and free. NCES describes a public charter school as a publicly funded school, usually run by a group or organization under a contract (the charter) with the state, the district or another body. The federal definition says a charter school does not charge tuition.
- Families choose it. Under the same definition, a charter school is one parents choose to send their children to, and it admits students by lottery when more apply than it has room for.
- Its own rules, its own accountability. The charter frees the school from some state or local rules; in return it must meet the standards written in its charter. It is nonsectarian.
- No program badge. ChoiceFunded’s program badges and “schools that accept” lists cover private schools only. Charter schools are listed separately here, with no badge, and are never counted with private schools.
Sources: 20 U.S.C. 7221i (federal Charter Schools Program definitions); NCES, Condition of Education: Public Charter School Enrollment. Each state writes its own charter law, so ask the school how enrollment works there.
- Private schools in Wisconsin (listed separately)
- What Wisconsin pays toward private school
- Charter schools in every state
- Wisconsin next to other states: charter and private school choice
School facts: U.S. Department of Education, Common Core of Data (2025-26 directory, 2024-25 enrollment and staff). Where our data comes from.